Corner fastening means for paperboard boxes, cartons, and the like



J. D. CRARY 2,419,391

CORNER FASTENING MEANS FOR PAPER-BOARD BOXES, CARTONS, AND THE LIKE A ril 22, 1947.

Filed May 12, 1944 (JAY .zz. CPAR'Y INVENTOR. MM

Patented Apr. 22, 1947 UNITED STATE S PATENT OFFICE Jay D. Crary, Portland, Oreg., assignor to Paper Strap, Inc., Portland, reg., a corporation of Oregon Application May 12, 1944, Serial No. 535,310

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in means for facilitating the assembling, locking, and stabilizing the corners of cartons to be folded into a complete assembly.

One of the principal objects of the invention is the provision of a corner fastener of this character of tongue formation which is formed integral with certain walls of the carton and adapted for quick and convenient engagement with other walls thereof by simply applying inward or downward pressure to said tongue to cause it to snap or sprin into engagement with means formed in said other walls for maintaining the tongue in flat relation with respect to the wall.

I am aware of other corner fasteners provided with foldable tongues arranged in opposite directions and adapted for insertion into slots for receiving same only if said tongues are properly bent about their fold-lines for accurate insertion into the slots. In contrast to this I provide a relatively wide and fiat main tongue which may be quickly and conveniently sprung into engagement with its cooperating wall by merely applying pressure to the tongue when presenting it to a slot in said corresponding wall. The tongue snaps into engagement with the wall without bending around a fold-line or guiding into a slot as heretofore and lies in flat contact with the wall after its extension therethrough.

These and other objects will appear as my invention is more fully hereinafter described in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a view in perspective illustrating one end wall of a box tray constructed in accordance with one form of the present invention; Fig, 2 is a fragmentary View in perspective showing the inner side of one corner of the tray shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating one corner of the box tray and illustrating particularly the manner of assembly; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating one corner of a box tray constructed in accordance with a modification of the invention; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View in perspective illustrating a still further modification of the invention.

In the drawing:

Reference numeral indicates the bottom wall of the carton which is formed integral with side and walls 2 and 3 respectively, which are defined by fold-line 4. Th walls 2 are extended as shown and terminate in tapered flaps 5 adapted for engagement with slots 6 formed in the end walls. The slots, as best illustrated in Figure 3, diverge at their ends as at 'l to form a yieldable area 8 to facilitate the insertion of the flap through the slot and to cause it to lie flat against the wall with which it engages. Inwardly from the free end of the flap 5, I form two tongues 9 by a simple punching operation and these tongues are adapted for insertion through vertical slots I!) also formed in the end walls. The ends of these slots converge as at I! to form a yieldable area l2 to facilitate insertion of the tongues 9 through the slots.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that a carton may be quickly assembled from a fiat end scored blank by merely folding the walls around the fold-lines 4, inserting the tongues 9 through the slots l0 and then snapping the flaps 5 through the slots 6.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 5 I use only one of the tongues 9A formed in the flap 5A for insertion through a slot IBA formed near the upper edge of the wall 3A. In some cartons for certain uses this single fastening tongue is believed to be sufficient since the lower edge of the Wall 3A is stabilized by its connection with the bottom wall IA.

In the further modified form shown in Fig. 6 I apply the flap 5B to the lid portion l3 of a carton and in the front wall of the carton I provide a slot I4 to engage the flap as it is sprung therethrough by an inward pressure against it toward the front wall 15 of the carton. I also provide a single tongue It for engagement with a slot l'i formed in the front wall 15. To further stabilize this connection I notch the front wall as at l8 so that a portion P9 of the front wall lies behind the flap 5B of the lid when the lid is locked into position.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention, I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A carton tray having integral bottom and side walls, means for uniting an adjacent pair of said side walls at a corner of said tray, the first of said side walls terminating at said corner, the

second of said side walls having an extension defining a flap folded along said corner and overlying the end of said first side wall, a pair of spaced apart parallel slots formed in the end portion of said first side wall and extending parallel with said corner, th ends of each of said slots having slits extending toward the other of said slots in nonoverlapping relation, the slits extending from the ends of the first of said pair of slots next adjacent the corner converging, a tongue formed in said fiap extending toward said corner and adapted cooperatively to fit into said first slot, the outer end of said flap defining a tongue which extends slightly farther than the second of said pair of slots from said corner, the slits extending from the ends of said second slot diverging with respect to each other, said last mentioned tongue being adapted to be snapped through said last mentioned slot merely by pressing the outer end portion of said flap against the first wall portion adjacent said second slot.

JAY D. CRARY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

